Marking machine



April 28, 1931. F, PUTNAM ET AL 1,803,132

MARKING MACHINE Filed May 22, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig. 1.

Inventors. Fred A. Putnam Charles H. Cheesemon M Ati'ys.

April 28, 193 1. PUTNAM ET AL 1,803,132

MARKING MACHINE Filed May 22, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 20 o \7 la la lnvenrors.

Fred A. Purnclrn- Chofles H. Cheeser'ncm 13 a byaguuwt WKW April 28,1931. A, PUTNAM ET AL 1,803,132

MARKING MACHINE Filed May 22, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 A. 8. Company '52 Fig. 5.

33 Company Invemors. Fred A. Purnclm Charles H. Cheeseman by M MZW A1 Tys.

p l 1931- F. A. PUTNAM ET AL 1,303,132

MARKING MACHINE Filed May 22, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Inventors. Fred A. Putnam Charles H. Cheesemon yMMuW Patented Apr. 28, 1931 warren STATES PATENT OFFICE FRED A. PUTNAM, or Karma, AND CHARLES E. CHEE-SEMAN, or MARLBORO, NEW

HAMPSHIRE, ASSIGNORS TO MARKETI MACHINE COIvIPANY, F KEENE, NEW HAMB- SHIRE, A CORPORATIGN OF MASSACHUSETTS V p 7 MARKING irAonmE Application filed May 22,

This invention relates to marking machines and has for its general object to provide various improvements in marking machines by which the operation of marking or making a p printed impression on individual pieces may be facilitated.

Marking. machines which are used for marking labels, parts of shoes and various other articles, are usually made with a work support on which the work to be marked is placed and a printing head movable toward and from the work support. In the present invention the work support is a rotatable member having a plurality of work-receiving faces andmeaus are provided for intermittently rotating it to bring the faces successively into printing position. In using the device the operator places thelabel Orother piece of work on one face of the work support when it is out of printing position and as the work support rotates it carries the work into printing position.

In order to give an understanding of the invention we have illustrated in'the drawings a selected embodiment thereof which will nowbe described after which the novel fea tures will be pointed out in the appended claims.

Fig. 1 is a side view of a printing machine embodying our invention; j

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side view illustrating the parts in a different position;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view showing the device adjusted for printing on box ends;

Fig. 4 is a front view of the rotatable work support, said view illustrating the printing head in position above the work support;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the work support;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view showing the means for locking the work support during the printing operation;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view illustrating a different embodiment of the invention, the printing head, the hold-down'members and the work-receiving tray being omitted.

1928. Serial No. 279,680.

1 indicates a suitable frame or stand 011 which the printing head 2 and work support 3 are mounted. Theprinting head 2 may beof any suitable or usual type and it is pro vided. with the type characters 53 by which the printing impression is mace. This printing head is shown as carried on the end of-an arm 4 pivoted to the frame at 5 and said arm is swung from the full to the dotted line position Fig. 2 by any suitable means usually employed in printing machines, such for instance as a cam mounted upon a cam shaft6 which is journalled in the frame and which is driven from the driving shaft 7, the latter having the drivingpulley 8 thereon.

. The work support 3 is a rotatable drum-like member having a plurality of work-receiving faces 9, 9a, 9b, 90, etc. on its periphery. Said work-supporting member is carried by a shaft 10 journalled in brackets 11 mounted on the frame andit is stepped forward intermittently to bring the work-receiving faces 9, 9a, '97), etc. successively into printing position. i

In Fig. 1 the work-receiving face 9?) is in printing position and at the next forward movement of the drum the work-receiving face 9a will be brought into printing position. Each work-receiving face is provided at one edgewith a ledge or shoulder 12 which forms a gauge or gnide for the label or other work to be printed. In the operation of the machine if labels are being printed the operator will place a label on each work-receiving face when it reaches the position shown by the face 9 in Fig. 1, the label at this time being supported by the shelf 12; At each forward step of the work support 3 a fresh face will be brought into receiving position while it will take .two forward steps to carry a label from the receiving. position around into printing position. i i

Situated beneath the work support 3 isa receptacle 13 into which the printed labels fall as they are carried around by the work support. The printed labels or other work are thus automatically discharged from the work support so that all the operator has to do is to feed the unprinted labels to the workreceiving faces as they come into positionwhich is carried by the bail-shaped member 18 that in turn is secured to the bracket arms 11. This member 17 has engagement with thelabel when it is in printing position and thus serves to hold it while the printing impression is being made. The holding finger 17 is adi-ustably mounted on the bail so that it can be placed in such a position that it will notinterfere with the type 53.

The arm 15 is adjustably mounted in the support 16 so that the finger 14 may be placed in differentpositions to engage labels ofdifferent sizes.

20 indicates elastic bands which are fastened at one end to the bail 18 and which partially encircle the work S-HPPOIEIOD the backside thereof. Saidbands serve to hold the printed label on the work support until it reaches the position indicated by the face Dr! in Fig. 1 at which time the printed label vmay gravitate downwardly into the receptacle 13. 1

Any suitable mechanism may be employed for intermittently rotating the work support 3. In Figs. 1 and 2 we have shown cam 21 for this purpose which is mounted on the cam shaft 6, suitable connections being provided between the cam and the work support. The shaft 10 of the work support has a ratchet 22 fast thereon and also has a pawlcarr in arm 23 loosel mounted thereon 1'5 1 said arm having pivoted thereto at 25' a pawl 24 which co-operates with the ratchet- .22. Said pawl is acted on by a suitable spring 26.

The pawl-carrying arm 22 is pivotally connected to oneend of a link 27, the other end" of which is provided with a slot 28 that embraces the camshaft 6, said shaft thus constituting a guide for the upper end of the link. This link carries a roll 29 with which the cam 21 co -operates. The spring 26 not only holds the pawl against the ratchet but also constitutes a return spring for the pawlcarrying arm 23.

The parts are shown in Fig. 1 with the pawlcarrying arm and link in "retracted position and as the shaft 6 rotates anti-clockwise, as indicated by the arrow a, the link 27' will be moved forwardly as shown in Fig. 2 and will thus swing the pawl-carrying arm 23 forwardly thereby advancing the work support one step and bringing the work-receiving surface 9a into printing position. During the latter part of this rotating movement of the work support the arm 4 is moving downwardly and when the work support has been properly positioned the printing head completes its downward movement and thus makes the printed impression.

Means are provided forlocking the work support from movement while the printed impression is being made so that a clear cut impression can be produced.

For thus locking the work suppor-tin its operative position we have provided a looking dog 30 which is pivotally mounted at 31 to a bracket arm 32 carried by the frame and which is'adaptedi to engage in any one of a plurality of recesses or notches 33 formed in the work support. There is one such notch or recess for each work-receiving face and these notches are so positioned that when any face is brought into printing position the corresponding notch 33 will be in line with the dog 30. The dog 30 is normally held in inoperative position by means of a spring 3 1 as shown in Fig. 4: and it is thrown into its operative locking position as shown in Fig. 6 by the printing head when the latter is carried into printing position. As the printing head is moved into the dotted line position Fig. 2 or full line position Fig. 6 it engages the end of the locking dog 30 and swings the latter down against the action of the spring 34: and into the notch 33 thereby locking the work support from movement while the printed impression is being made. As soon as the printing head begins to retract the spring 3% will move the locking dog into its inoperative position thus freeing the printing head so that it can be again stepped forward. I

' In Fig. 7 we have shown a different mechanism for intermittently rotating the Work support which operateson the principle of the well-known Geneva movement. 'The shaft 10 of the work support has fast thereon the driven member of the Geneva movement which is provided with the usual radial slots 56 and with the curved stop portion 57 between the slots.

(lo-operating with this member 55 is a Geneva driving member 58 which is mounted on a shaft 59 and is provided with the driving pin 60 that co-operates with the slot 56 and with the conveXly-curved stop portion 61 which co-operates with the stop surface 57 all as usual in Geneva movements. lVith this arrangement eachrotation of the driver 58 willstep the member 55 forward one step and said member will be locked from turning movement while the stop faces 61 and 57 are in engagement.

The driving member 58 is rigid with a gear 62 which in turn meshes with and is driven by a gear 63 journalled on the frame. This gear 63 hasrigid therewith a sprocket 64 over which passes asprocket chain 65, the latter being driven by a sprocket wheel 66 on the cam shaft 6'. WVith this driving mechanism the work support 3 will be stepped forward intermittently and in timed relation with the operation of the printing head. The Geneva movement herein shown not only gives the intermittent movement to the work support, but also functions to lock the work support between its forward movements.

The marking machine embodying this invention has the advantage that the operator need pay no attention to the removal of the printed labels or pieces of work from the machine, such removal being entirely auto matic. All the operator has to do is to place a piece of work on each work-receiving face when it comes into the vertical position shown by the face 9 in Fig. 1 and the work will be automatically retained in this position by the fingers 14, 17 and flexible bands 20 While it is carried into and out of printing position.

The cam 21 is shown as adjustable as to its throw so as to ensure the proper operation of the machine. For this purpose the cam is formed with an adjustable section 35 which forms the tip of the cam and which is provided with a slotted stem 36 operating in a groove or guideway 37 formed in the body of the cam. A clamping screw 38 extending through the slot of the stem 36 serves to hold the cam section 35 in its adjusted position.

The invention also involves a box-printing attachment which is shown best in Fig. 3.

The bracket arms 11 by which the rotatable work support is mounted are so secured to the frame that said work support can be swung down out of the way as illustrated in Fig. 3 when the box-printing attachment is to be used. This attachment comprises an arm 39 which is adapted to be secured to the portion 40 of the frame, said arm 39 carrying at its outer end a blade 41 on which the work is supported. This blade is thin and is adapted to be inserted between the end wall 42 of a box 43 and the end wall 44of the cover 45 as seen in Fig. 3, said blade thus forming a support for the end 44 of the cover while the printed impression is being made thereon. With this attachment it is possible to make the printed impression directly on the box or carton, if desired.

Marking machines of this sort are frequently used for printing labels for shoe boxes or other cartons. Sometimes these labels are in the form of slips of paper on which the printed impression is made and which are afterwards adhesively united to the box end. Sometimes it is desirable to print the notation which may have to do with the size and style of the shoe or the size, style and other characteristics of the article to be ultimately placed in the box, directly Jon the box coveraor box end and-the attachment shown in Fig. 3permits thisto'ibe done.

The bracketarms 11 are'shownasipivoted to the-main frame at 46 and when the rotatable work support is to be used as shown in Figs. land 2 said-arms a'rerigidly heldin their horizontal position by means of a sup- 'the head of the bolt the-Junder side of the'arins l l'serv'es to hold s'aidiarms rigidly in operative position.

In the construction illustrated the work on which'the printed impression is to be made is in the form of a label 50 and the desired information or data is printed on the two ends of the label. Consequently with this arrangement the type 53 will be arranged 1n other, one group being adapted to print the notation on one end of the label and the a other adapted to print the notation on the other end of the label. W'ith this arrange- .85 two groups which are separated from each ment the finger 17 and elastic bands 20 will be so situated that they are between the groups of type. If, however, the label was to be printed in the center or in any other place the finger 17 and the elastic members 20 would be shifted so as to not interfere with the type.

Although the device is herein shown as adapted to print labels yet it is obvious that so far as the construction is concerned it is 1. In a marking machine, the combination with a vertically-moving printing head, of a work support rotatable about a horizontal axis and provided with a plurality of fiatlabel-receiving faces each adapted to support a label, means to intermittently rotate said work support to carry the faces from vertical receiving position into horizontal. printing position, and a label-supportlng .1 equally applicable for printing other articles. e claim ledge associated with each face and situated 7 on the lower edge thereof when it is in vertical' receiving position, the edge of each face opposite the, ledge being unobstructed and forming a delivery edge over which the printed label is delivered when the face reaches position opposite the label-receiv- 'undenwhich;thelabels are carried by the rotative movement of. the'rwork support and whieh holds :them' :rin position while the printed impressi-on isv being made,..the edge 0f each/face opposite it-heledge being undbaiructedanek form'mg a delivery edge over .Whichthe printed label is delivered when the face reaches a position opposite the Labelneceivingposition. .ln testimony whereof, we haveisigned our names .to. this specification. I

e ;FRED.A.:1PUTNAM. ,GHARLESlH. GHEESEMAN; 

